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What Happened to This Epic Snow Storm?

For days the media has been talking about a major storm that was heading our way. They were promoting this storm like it was going to be the biggest storm to hit Toronto this millennium. School closures were planned before the first snowflake fell, even the Toronto District School Board offices were scheduled not to be open today. Colleges and Universities cancelled classes and programs, day care centres were not even going to open. All of this was in preparation for this epic storm that only delivered about 15 centimetres of snow instead of the 30 or 35 centimetres that was forcast, and then it was of the light flakey variety at that.

While many people like myself planned not to go into the office, I could at least make it look like I was in the office. Similar to how Toronto virtual office clients have their calls answered by a receptionist and transferred to the number of their choice, those clients with downtown Toronto office space at Telsec can also have their calls routed to wherever they are working.

Around 11 am, I got a call transferred to my cell from a potential client. The potential client was in the city and had a few meeting cancelled, they wanted to know if I could meet with them today while they were in town. I called the receptionist at my office space Toronto and asked her if there was an open boardroom for 1 pm, she looked it up and indeed there was an available boardroom. While I was talking to the receptionist I asked if the office was quiet today, she said it was a little quiet but most were in and it was business as usual.

It took me a few more minutes than usual to get into the office, but that was because I was stuck behind a row of snowploughs on the Don Valley Parkway. When I got to the office, I headed directly to the same place I do every day, the kitchen. As I was getting my cup of hazelnut coffee, a few of the usual suspects were also getting their second or third cup of the day. The topic of conversation … What else… the storm that never came. The one woman was upset at the school closures, she remembered walking to school in blizzards when she grew up in Northern Ontario. Another person who runs a branch office for a Southern California company was experiencing his first taste of winter and was happy to see the snow. He got a few odd looks from us hardy winterized Canadians when he mentioned he was heading to California tonight.

The meeting with the potential client went well and I counted on a slow drive home. To my surprise, the commute home was not that bad. The roads were clear and there were fewer cars than normal. I want the weatherman to make more storm predictions like this and keep more people off the roads.

About Ian Payton

Responsibilities: Social Media Coordination and content creation for companies like the Toronto International Bicycle Show. Outside of work for primary clients,work was done for smaller clients like branches of the Royal Canadian Legion designing and revitalizing web sites. Conceptualizing strategies for online and offline marketing as well as promotional activities for other companies.